Apparatus for refining garbage-grease.



No. 646,7!5. Patented Apr. 3, |90G..

B. TERME. APPARATUS FUR REFINING GARBAGE GREASE.

(Application led May 17, 1899.) (No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BRUNO TERNE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS YFOR REFINI'NG GARBAG E-G REAsE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 646,715, dated April 3, 1900.

- Application tiled May 17,1899. Serial No. 717,131. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, BRUNO TERNE, a citizen of the United States,

of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and

State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Refining Garbage-Grease, of which the following is a specification. Y

This invention relates ,to an improved apparatus for refining garbage-grease or similar fatty products, so as toimprove the color of and remove the obnoxious odor from the same; and the invention consists of an appa-- steam to said still and a separator for separating the condensed vapors from the Water of condensation resulting when steam is employed and mixed with the vapors from the still.

The accompanying drawing represents a side elevation of my improved apparatus for reninggarbage-grease or other waste grease.

In the draw-ing, M represents a mixingtank, which is provided with a mechanical stirrer which is rotated in any suitable manner. In place of the mechanical stirrer the mixing operation may be accomplished by compressed air. The mixingtank M is made perfectly tight and iitted with a suitable vent-pipe m', leading to a suitable condenser. The Waste garbage-grease is first thoroughly mixed in the mixing-tank with any suitable volatile liquid and the solution then drawn ott from the tank by means of the pipe m into the storage-tank D, below' which is arranged a battery of lilters A A B B C C', each of which is connected by a suit? able valved pipe (lettered, respectively, d d2 d3 d4 d5 d6) with the storage-tank D. The storage-tank may be of any length and diameter, according to the number of lters to be supplied from the same,and is provided with a residing in the cityvent-pipe d, leading to the condenser to which the pipe m is connected or to any other suitable condenser. The iiltering -tanks are preferably of a height of vfrom twelve to twenty-four feet and from thirty to thirty-six inches in diameter. They have to stand a pressure of from eighty to one hundred pounds; They are su pplied in the usual man; ner with a perforated false bottom, which is covered with a layer of felt, bagging, or other coarse textile material, so `as to prevent the Iiltering material with which they are charged from being carried off in the filtering operation. Two adjacent filters` are connected by pipes a ct b b c c', respectively, with each other, so as to permit the flow of liquor from A to A', B to B', C to C', or in opposite direction-Q11. e., from A to A, B' to B, C to O-as may be desired. The connectingpipes are provided with valves, so that the tanks -may be cut ott from each other, if de sired. Below the filtering-tanks is arranged a'receiver E, which is connected with the tanks by means of suitable valved pipes e e2 e3 e4 e5 e6 and provided with a vent-pipe e, leading to a suitable condenser. It is obvious that by proper adjustment of the valves the solution may be permitted to flowfrom the storage-tank directly through all the :tiltering-tanks int-o the receiver or any tank maybe cut out. It is preferable, however,

-to adjust the valves so that the liquid Will enter at the top of one of the tanks of a pair, pass out the bottom .ofv the same bythe conmeeting-pipe to the topof the other tank of the pair, and through that tank into the receiver, thus traversing two ytanks before being discharged. It may be caused to enter either ofthe tanks of a pair, being discharged from the other tank. The receiver E is connected by a valved pipe E with an evaporating or vaporizing still K, into which the fil'- tered solution passes. The size of the still is inproportion to the daily production of garbage-grease, so that large and economical runs can be made. The still may be constructed entirely of wrought-iron, or the upper'part may be ot' Wrought-iron and the lower part of cast iron. The still is heated Vby coils of steam-pipes arranged in the lower part of the same. When steam is passed through these pipes K', the ltered solution therein is heat- IOO ed, so that the volatile solvent is driven off in vapor from the grease, which is left behind in the still. This vapor is conducted out at the top of the still through the pipe K2 into the condenser N. To facilitate the movement of the vapor, a steam-pipe K3 is connected to the side of the still-head K4 in such a manner that a jet of steam may be blown into the pipel K2 and produce a suction -of the vapor from the still toward the condenser. After all the vapor is evaporated from the solution in the still in meno live steam is forced through the pipe K5 into the still for a short time through the body of grease, so as to thoroughly agitate it and volatilize all the remaining solvent liquid, the steam and vapors being then passed into the condenser N and condensed therein. The purified grease, which is collected in the still after the distilling operation is completed, is drawn oif by means of the pipe O to a suitable storage-tank, from which it is drawn as required. The condenser N is provided with relief outlet-pipes n at thelower part of each alternate bend, so that the condensed steam and solvent are conducted o through collectingpipes n to a separator Q, where by reason of the diference in the speciiic gravities of the liquids the separation of the water and the solvent quickly takes place. The latter is drawn off from the separator into a suitable storage-tank and may be used again in the process. The water of condensation is conducted off by a waste-pipe into the sewer.

The object of the vent-pipes nl', d, and c is to permit by cutting olf the various parts of the apparatus from each other the forcing of steam in one or the other direction through the same, so as to cleanse the part or parts connected and vaporze and carry to the condenser any of the solvent remaining in the parts. This condenser referred to may be a separate condenser from the condenser N used in the process, or it may be the condenser N, as the same will not be otherwise employed when the parts are being cleaned. Then it is desired to charge a filtering-tank with fresh filtering material, the tank is cut olf from the storage-tank by means of the valve inthe connecting-pipe and likewise cut off from thc receiver and the other tank with which itis connected. Live steam is supplied to the bottom of the iltering-tank at F, below the false bottom of the same, so that the volatile solvent liquid is Vaporized and forced with the steam through the pipe G to the condenser. As soon as only steam passes out at G the operation is interrupted and the charge taken out through the gate H at the bottom and the filtering-chamber charged again'with filtering material through the manhole II in the top ofthe vessel. The discharged material is then transferred to a revivifying apparatus to be cleaned.

By my improved apparatus the solvent liquid is separated by distillation from the grease after having passed with the same through the filtering material, and the so dis# tilled and condensed solvent liquid can then be used again for mixing with a fresh charge of grease. The apparatus permits the carrying out, therefore, of a very economical and highly-effective process for the purification of garbage-grease and other waste grease.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The apparatus .herein described for rening garbage-grease, consisting of a mixer, a storage-tank connected therewith, abattery of filtering-tanks, valved pipes connecting Said filtering-tanks in pairs with each other and with said storage-tank, a receiver below said battery and connected with the same, a condenser, and means for exhausting the vapors from the still into the condenser, suhstantally as set forth.

2. The apparatus herein described for refining garbage-grease, consisting of a mixer, a storage-tank connected therewith, a battery of filtering-tanks, valved pipes connecting said filtering-tanks in pairs with each other and with said storage-tank, a receiver below said battery and connected with the same, a still connected with said receiver, means for admitting steam to said still, means for exhausting the vapors and steam from said still into the condenser, and aseparator for separating the water of condensation from the condensed vapors, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

H. I. BROWN, FRANK TERNE.

IOO 

